


When You Need Someone to Cheer You

by GloriaGilbertPatch



Category: Suits (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-02
Updated: 2016-04-02
Packaged: 2018-05-30 18:45:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6436084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GloriaGilbertPatch/pseuds/GloriaGilbertPatch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's fall 2007 and Gordon Specter has just passed away.</p>
            </blockquote>





	When You Need Someone to Cheer You

Dana Scott glared at her desk phone, willing it to stop ringing even though she knew perfectly well that it didn’t work that way. Still, it was eight o’clock on a weekday, and she was still in the office for the foreseeable future, trying to fix the mess that her _idiot_ of a client had stuck her with. If she picked up the phone, she might as well agree to go without sleeping for the next week.

But her secretary had gone home, since it was _eight o’clock on a weekday_ , and a glance at the number displaying on the phone told her someone was trying to reach her from America, which made it better, at least a little. Begrudgingly, and curiously, she finally gave in and picked up the phone.

“Dana Scott,” she said crisply, to silence on the other end. “Hello?”

“Hi,” a man’s voice replied, in a rush. “Um, Dana? …Scottie? It’s, um, Marcus. Specter. Harvey’s brother, I mean.”

“Oh, hi, Marcus, it’s nice to hear from you,” she said, warming considerably. “Let me guess, you need legal advice, but it’s for something you don’t want Harvey to know about? I promise your secret’s safe with me. What’s up?”

“Uh, no, not exactly…I, um…my dad’s dead. Uh, that is…our father had a heart attack this morning, and, um…he died.”

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry. Is there anything I can do for you guys?”

He hesitated for a moment that made her tense, even over the phone.

“You could come to the funeral,” he said, quietly. “I’m sorry; I know that’s a lot to ask. You’ve gotta be at least as busy as Harvey, and you live in England, and it’s this weekend, but…”

“I’ll be there,” she said, decisively.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I’ll make it work. This is important.” She sighed, taking a wistful look at her computer screen and the piles of redwelds on the chair in front of her desk. “Look, Marcus, you can call if you need anything, and I mean that, but I’m actually in the middle of a giant fuckup of a sale that I need to get back to, so can you email me the details at scottd@darbycooke.co.uk?”

“Um, yeah, of course; I – you’re really going to come?”

“This is your dad. Yes, I’m going to come.”

“Okay. Okay, um…thanks, Scottie. I’ll, uh, I’ll let you get back to your work.”

“Take care, Marcus.”

She heard him hang up and let out a long breath.

Harvey’s dad was dead.

She’d only met Gordon Specter once – he’d been touring up in Boston, and Harvey had taken her to hear him play – and if she were being honest with herself, she’d have to admit that he hadn’t made much of an impression. Skilled musician, friendly guy, drank maybe a little more than was a good idea; he was nice enough, but not particularly memorable. Except for the hero worship that she could still see in Harvey’s eyes. He had idolized his father, for a combination of reasons that Dana had always tried really hard not to armchair-analyze, and she knew how much this must be hurting him.

It was a little bit shocking to realize how much it hurt _her_ to think about.

Time had, once again, crept up on her, and she hadn’t seen Harvey in about a year – but this was their normal, now. They lived over three thousand miles apart and they weren’t together; seeing each other once a year or so was actually pretty good for, “old friends from law school.” And yet here she was, in the middle of a complicated deal, trying to figure out how to fly back to the States in time to attend the funeral of a man who likely wouldn’t have recognized her name or face, just because she wanted to be there for Harvey when he was in pain. That…had to mean something. That it had been seven _years_ since they’d seen each other regularly, and she’d still drop everything to be with him.

Dana liked her job. Darby trusted and respected her, even if Cooke didn’t, and she’d been promoted accordingly. Hell, at thirty-two she was already an equity partner in a major international law firm, so no matter what Cooke said, he clearly thought something of her, too. She liked London, she liked the partners she worked with, and she even liked a number of the associates – though it really wasn’t worth getting attached to associates; so many of them washed out so quickly.

She’d almost gotten accustomed to the idea that she was going to live in London for the rest of her life, a permanent expat, and even though she was American to the core, she was okay with that.

But maybe it was time to start looking at New York again.

She was an attractive candidate, for a lateral: Young, and female, with all the diversity and good press that that brought, but with the appropriate pedigree and a long list of clients who’d follow her anywhere, and a weak enough partnership agreement that that was an option. And…maybe it was time. Time to tell Harvey she loved him; time to tell him she wanted to be with him – that she was in it, that she was serious, that she missed him more than she liked London and she wanted him more than she wanted her job.

Not _at_ the funeral, of course. She wasn’t that crass. But she booked a one-way flight to New York, anyway. Edward was gonna want to kill her, but she’d bring her laptop.

\--

The funeral was upstate, and even though it felt a little morbid, Dana booked a room at a hotel close by, rather than staying in the city and having to deal with trains or taxis or rental cars. She hung up her dress and unpacked her toiletries quickly and then, restless, went out for a walk, shaking her head as always at the fact that the town’s rural existence was such a short distance from the overwhelming metropolis that was New York City. It was pretty; peaceful – it would drive her insane if she had to live here on a regular basis, but for a weekend, it was almost nice.

“Dana?”

As she walked past the cemetery where Gordon Specter would be laid to rest, she heard a woman’s voice call out her name and turned around in surprise. It took her a moment, but she smiled when she recognized the pretty redhead walking towards her.

“Hi, Donna,” she said gratefully, shaking the other woman’s hand when she extended it.

“I didn’t expect to see you here,” Harvey’s secretary responded, but she was smiling earnestly, so Dana figured it was okay.

“Marcus called me,” she explained, tucking a long strand of dark hair behind her ear. “I, uh, I only met him once, but…”

“Harvey’ll be glad you came,” Donna assured her, cutting her off. “Things have been pretty rough on him the past few…well, anyway. I know he’ll be glad to see you.”

“Thanks,” she said, softly, before it registered. “Wait. ‘Things’? What’s happened? Well, other than the obvious, I mean…”

“Nothing,” Donna said quickly, an enigmatic look on her face. “Oh, well, there’s one good thing; he made partner.”

“Really? That’s great news.”

“Yeah, and _believe_ me, he earned it.”

“He earned it years ago, but it’s nice to know Daniel Hardman and Jessica Pearson finally figured that out.”

“Actually….” Donna began, and Dana locked eyes with her.

“What?”

“It’s, uh, it’s just Jessica these days. Daniel went on leave – his wife has breast cancer, so he’s, uh, he’s focusing on her right now.”

“Oh. Well, yeah, of course, I’m sorry to hear that,” Dana said, fumbling a little. It was clear that this was not yet a well practiced lie, but now probably was not the time to call the woman on it. She could always ask Harvey later.

“Yes, it’s very sad. Alicia Hardman is a wonderful person. But as much as we’ll miss Daniel, Jessica is more than capable of running Pearson Hardman in his absence.”

God, she was so full of bullshit, and now Dana was actively curious. She said nothing, though; just held Donna’s gaze for long enough to make it obvious that she knew, and when Donna looked away, Dana changed the subject.

“But, hey, partner; at least there’s that.”

“At least there’s that,” Donna said ironically.

They stood there for an awkward moment before Dana made her excuses.

“I, um, I actually have a lot of work to do back at the hotel – one of my clients is, I swear, trying to lower my life expectancy single-handedly – but I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Ahh, I know the kind well. See you tomorrow; try to get some sleep. Oh, and Scottie?” she added, just as Dana had turned away.

“Yeah?”

“It really does mean a lot to him that you’re here. Just in case he doesn’t say it.”

She nodded and walked back to her hotel, settling down at the desk and putting in a good faith effort to get some work done and crossing her fingers that she could somehow keep the God damned deal from falling through.

It was ironically strange how much time Dana spent waffling over her appearance the next morning, given that she’d already chosen a dress and brought a very limited amount of makeup with her, but somehow it was devastatingly important that she look her best, and more than once she washed her made-up face clean, just to start over. It was ridiculous. Dana Scott was _not_ the sort of woman who primped for a _funeral_ , especially the funeral of someone she’d only ever met once, but there you had it. Finally she decided that even with the black dress, it was late enough in the fall to wear a slightly darker lipstick, and she pinned her hair half-up in a final, frustrated compromise before leaving the hotel and making her way to the services.

She sat towards the back, catching sight of Donna’s red hair in the second row and almost smiling, wondering idly if Harvey even realized how lucky he was to have her or if he just assumed that all secretaries were equally devoted to their bosses.

The services were fairly straightforward, and both Harvey and Marcus gave short but poignant speeches, and when it was over Dana found herself shockingly nervous, considering. She hovered uncertainly, still towards the back, until Marcus spotted her and came over to say hello. There was a pretty young woman on his arm, and as she turned the diamond on her left hand caught the sunlight. Dana bit back her surprise. Marcus had to be almost thirty by now; there was nothing strange about his being engaged, and yet she still couldn’t help thinking of him as Harvey’s baby brother.

“Marcus, hi,” she said, greeting him with a hug as he approached. He kissed her on the cheek and as he pulled away she was starkly reminded of how much time had passed.

“Scottie, it’s good to see you. Thank you so much for coming.” He gestured to the woman standing next to him. “This is my fiancée, Katie. Katie, this is Dana Scott, Harvey’s old girlfriend from law school.”

“Nice to meet you,” Katie said, offering her hand, which Dana shook.

“You, too,” she answered. “And…I’m so sorry for your loss. I know he meant a lot to you.”

“Thanks,” Marcus answered quietly, to a squeeze around the waist from his fiancée.

“And, hey, congratulations on the engagement,” she added with a slight smile, turning to Katie. “He’s a really good guy, although I have to admit the idea that Harvey’s little brother is old enough to be getting married makes me feel _ancient_.”

“What can I say? I hate to hurt you, Scottie, but I’d be crazy to let this one get away,” he said, grinning at Dana but softening as he turned to Katie, and Dana couldn’t help the butterflies rising again in her stomach at the idea of Harvey looking at her that way.

“No, of course,” she said, smiling back. “I’m sure you two will be really happy together.”

“Have you had a chance to say hi to Harvey, by the way?” he asked suddenly, and Dana shook her head. He immediately turned and made some kind of gesture that must have made sense in the secret language of brothers, because Harvey started making his way over.

And he had a woman on his own arm.

She was quite tall, almost as tall as he was, with a pretty face and long, blondish-brown hair, and from the way Harvey was looking at her Dana knew the second goal of her trip, the one she’d been trying to keep secret even from herself, was a lost cause.

“Scottie! I didn’t know you were going to be here,” he said, giving her a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek exactly the way his brother had, and his clearly honest pleasure gave her enough of a confidence boost to answer.

“Marcus,” she explained, with a bit of a smile. “He, uh…he called me, and I had the time, so…”

“Well, it’s good to see you,” Harvey assured her, with obvious affection, and then turned to the woman on his arm. “This is Zoe Lawford, by the way. Zoe, this is Dana Scott. She was my year at Harvard.”

“Oh, how nice to meet you,” Zoe said, in an Australian accent, as she shook Dana’s hand. “I was class of ’98 myself, but your name is awfully familiar…”

“Were you on Law Review? Maybe you read my journal note?”

“Yes, I was – that could be right,” she said, vaguely, clearly trying to remember, before turning to Harvey.

“If you’ll excuse me,” she said, softly, and kissed him on the temple before heading off in the direction of the ladies’ room.

“She seems nice,” Dana said, once Zoe was out of earshot. Harvey gave the soft smile of a man in love, and Dana firmly bit back her sadness.

“She is,” he assured her.

“One of your coworkers, I guess? What area does she practice in?”

“Actually, no,” Harvey answered, slowly. “She was in M&A with me, but she transferred to trusts and estates not long ago…and then she resigned altogether.”

“She’s going in-house?” Dana asked with a frown, and Harvey shook his head.

“She’s decided to stop practicing. I don’t think she’s made a decision yet on where she’s going; she just…wants out.” He shrugged slightly, and Dana nodded.

“Well, she wouldn’t be the first,” she said, trying to be generous. “Good on her for giving it a shot…and for leaving, when it wasn’t for her.”

“Yeah,” Harvey said softly, looking suddenly sadder than he had even during his eulogy. “Scottie?”

“Hmm?”

“Thanks for coming.”

She nodded a little, wishing she could tell him the truth, that she would drop everything to be with him; that saving him from even the tiniest bit of pain would be enough to make anything worthwhile – but she couldn’t, and there was no use dwelling on it.

“Congratulations on making partner,” she finally said, quietly. Then she laid one hand on his shoulder and reached up on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek.

“Keep in touch, okay?

He nodded in response, and she gave him one last smile as she walked away, reminding her heart that breaking wasn’t fair because he’d never really been hers to lose.

But when she got back home, she was finally going to let John set her up with his brother-in-law.


End file.
